Somewhere to Call Home
by RisingStorm15
Summary: Modern AU. Porthos and Athos had lived on the streets of Paris with their younger brothers, Aramis and D'artagnan for years. Shunned by the system and wary of adults, can the new second in commands of the Paris police force, Jean Treville, provide them with the home they've always wanted?
1. The cafe

Jean Treville, second in command of the Paris Police Department was late again.

Having missed his alarm and having rushed to put on his uniform and double check he had all his equipment he found himself sprinting across the street to his mother's café.

Mrs. Anna Treville was the proud owner of one of the best cafes in France. The short grey haired woman had lovingly painted and decorated her small shop, and her coffee was the best in Paris.

Commissioner Louis was particularly fond of the coffee sold by Treville's mother, and every day Treville found himself bring two coffees in to work. His mother had taken to writing small messages and quotes on the travel cups she handed out and Treville sincerely hoped that this morning she would have anticipated his need for a hit and run.

Apparently she had.

Stepping in to the café he noticed the regular customers were seated in their regular tables enjoying his mother's baking. As he made his way towards the counter he smiled at the sight of his short mother holding out two travel mugs to him, steam curling elegantly from the lids.

" You're late again sweetheart, you really need to fix that alarm clock of yours," His mother greeted, pecking him on the cheek softly.

He embraced his mother gently, infinitely grateful for her thoughtfulness.

" I rushed in getting ready so I'd have five minutes to say good morning," He revealed, knowing his mother loved it when he out aside time to sit and chat with her.

Light blue eyes lighting up happily she leaned against the counter, taking his hands in her own.

" Thank you dear, I'm glad you could take time for your poor old mother," She joked, an amused smirk crinkling her delicate features.

Treville laughed warmly, shaking his head slightly in denial.

" You're hardly old yet mother," he assured.

She sent him a mock glare, shaking her wooden baking spoon in a mock threat.

" I should think not!"

The two of them laughed warmly at that, reveling in each others company to cast away their lonely lives. Ever since Treville's father had died he had taken special precautions to make sure his mother would be cared for, and one of those precautions was to live nearby so neither of them would need to be lonely.

He was a grown man who ate dinner with his mother every night like a child.

The bell on the door heralded a new arrival and Treville turned to see two young teens enter the shop.

The first appeared to be the older one and if Treville had to hazard a guess he would say the boy was around fifteen years old. With a mop of dark brown hair and a battered grey hoodie to keep out the chill he stepped in to the store, stormy blue eyes searching its occupants until his gaze settled on Treville's mother and he sent a small smile in her direction before leading the way to the kitchens attached to the café.

His companion was slightly younger at about fourteen and was obviously had an African ancestor along the line somewhere. He was bigger than the first boy, with muscles beneath his black shirt and a mess of dark curls under a navy bandana. He sent a broad grin to Mrs. Treville before following his friend to the kitchens.

Watching them go his mother sent them a fond smile that had Treville raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

At his questioning glance his mother smiled sadly. " That would be Athos and Porthos, they do odd jobs around here for me," she explained.

Treville's brow furrowed in concern. "I wasn't aware you needed help around the place".

She let out a small sigh before meeting his gaze again and he immediately knew there was more to the story then he had first thought.

" They're homeless. They live together under a bridge with two younger boys they take care of. Athos and Porthos do work around here and while they refuse to take money I give them food or supplies for their work. It's so sad seeing two lovely children like them having to take on so much responsibility," She explained, the two of them watching as the teens collected cleaning supplies and began wiping benches dirtied from the early morning baking.

Heaving a small sigh Treville watched them work together. Throughout his years on the force he'd seen many cases of homeless teens resorting to crime and he thanked the heavens these boys had found his gentle mother instead of a gang leader. The thought of these boys ensnared by a gang like the Red Guards had his coffee tasting like ash in his mouth.

" They aren't in the system?" He asked.

His mother shook her head. "No, they don't really trust adults all that much and the poor boys have all had quite awful childhoods. The four of them have become like brothers and I assume that they're worried they'll be separated if the system got involved," His mother answered, concern for their welfare clear on her wrinkled face.

Cursing inwardly when his watch beeped loudly he collected up his coffees and kissed his mother goodbye.

" Don't forget to give Louis his coffee!" His mother called as he left the shop and he smirked softly.

As if his boss would ever let him forget. 

After work he found himself comfortably changed out of his uniform and headed to his mother's shop across the road to help her close down for the day. He was looking forward to a home cooked dinner that night; his mother was making his favorite pasta.

Upon entering the shop he found himself greeted with a hug from his mother.

" How was your day honey?" She asked when they broke apart.

" Same old work, not much really happened except for the fact that Richelieu is really trying to push his initiative for more patrols around the Louvre," Treville answered with a small shrug.

His partner, Armand Richelieu was a difficult man to work with and Treville found himself often butting heads with his temperamental colleague.

" Why don't you bring him some coffee tomorrow as well, maybe then he'll be a bit nicer towards you," His mother suggested in concern.

Treville let out a snort of laughter at the thought of his partner accepting any type of gift from him.

" I'm sorry mother but I don't think even your coffee would change that man's attitude".

Sitting down at a nearby table he found himself listening to his mother's recount of her day and unwinding form the stress of his job.

A while later their conversation paused at the appearance of Athos and Porthos who stood with their hands at their sides and sheepish smiles of their tanned faces.

" Sorry to interrupt Mrs. Treville but we were wondering if it was okay to leave a little early tonight?" Athos asked hopefully, giving a respectful nod to Treville as he did so.

" Of course you boys can go, I hope nothing's wrong?" She gushed warmly.

Giving a confident flash of a smile Porthos drew himself up to his full height.

"Nothing we can't handle, it's just that it's D'artagnan's birthday and the pup wanted to spend time with us tonight," He revealed with a fond grin at the thought of his little brother.

Treville's interest peaked. He knew his mother had mentioned two younger boys and he assumed D'artagnan was one of them. Where were the others? Did they stay under the bridge all day and night while the older boys went off to work?

" Oh bless that little one! How old is he turning this year?" His mother asked lovingly.

Athos gave them a small smirk at the obvious love Mrs. Treville had for his littlest brother. "He's turning five this year".

" Five! The little on is growing so big now. Oh you must bring Aramis and D'artagnan by some time to visit while you work, I'd love their company," his mother commented wistfully before bustling over to the counter and handing over a bag of left overs and what appeared to be some of Treville's childhood clothing.

Opening her display cabinet she pulled out a small chocolate cupcake and gave it to a surprised Athos.

" You make sure you boys share this as my gift for D'artagnan," she added warmly.

" Thank you Mrs. Treville!" Porthos cried as he hugged her goodbye and led the way out in to the sunset bathed streets, Athos hesitating slightly before hugging the old woman as well.

" Thank you for your kindness," he murmured softly before rushing after Porthos, cupcake safely clutched in his bag to supplies.

Shaking her head fondly, Mrs Treville rejoined him and hey watched the boys walk down the streets with their arms wound around each other in a gesture of companionship.

" I wish I could do more for those boys but they won't take anything but the bare minimum from me," She murmured, chin resting on her hands as she watched them disappear.

Treville pulled her in to a side hug.

" You give them work and food by which to survive, I know they're grateful mother," Treville reassured her.

Inside he found himself picturing Athos's dark eyes with their hidden depths and veiled pain.

For some reason he found himself drawn to the older boy. While the they worked with his other it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on them. Maybe he'd get to know the mysterious children from under the bridge.


	2. Doctor Treville

From the moment they met it was clear that Athos and D'artagnan would one day be brothers.

Athos had just been kicked out of home and had established a place for himself under an old bridge that spanned the river. Days later Porthos and he had become friends while trying to both steal from the same street vendor. Soon Porthos introduced him to little Aramis who was Porthos' pseudo little brother. The three of them had lived under the bridge together for a year before Athos found himself taking a night job cleaning the local Chinese take out after hours. It was midnight when he finished work and as he stumbled home, clutching his worn jacket close to trap the heat, he happened upon a toddler covered in blood as he cowered in an alleyway.

Immediately concerned he had crouched in front of the child, watching as the little boy tried to escape him weakly.

" Hey stop that, you're hurt and you need to stay still!" Athos had scolded.

" H-he hurt me, please help me," The child had pleaded desperately.

That was all it took.

Apparently the toddler was named D'artagnan, he was three years old, and his foster parent, Vadim, had consistently beaten D'artagnan for months before Athos found him.

From then on D'artagnan became part of their brotherhood and to this day he still clung to Athos whenever he could. 

Currently Porthos was on watch to make sure no one came for their supplies while they slept and no adults spotted them and called the CPS. Porthos had found himself leaning against the wide brick turret behind him whilst Aramis slept on his lap, the ten year old's head resting on his shoulder.

Athos lay beside him on an old blanket, stretched out with D'artagnan curled against him, the youngest's head resting on Athos' chest.

Their hide out was cold but they found snuggling their little brothers generally kept them warm enough to survive the cold nights.

Noticing that the sun was starting to creep up behind the buildings Porthos gently shook the tall body beside him.

" Time to get up Athos, we've got to get ready for work," Porthos ordered loudly.

Athos groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his stormy eyes in an effort to wake himself up.

" Wake up Aramis, I'll get D'artagnan up and we'll go for a bath before we leave," Athos mumbled tiredly.

Nodding quickly, Porthos shook Aramis's shoulder gently.

" Wake up 'mis," He whispered in to the small Spaniards ear.

Blinking slowly Aramis looked up at his older brother with a small pout on his face.

" Porthos can't I sleep for a little bit longer?" Aramis pleaded hopefully.

Porthos shook his head with a small chuckle.

" Sorry kid but we're going for a bath and then we're all going to Mrs. Treville's café today," Porthos revealed.

A delighted smile lit up Aramis's face and he leapt out of Porthos' hold, jumping from one foot to the other eagerly.

" Yay! I get to go see Mrs Treville! She plays the best games!" Aramis cheered.

Sighing in envy of his younger brother's morning energy Porthos led the way to the river's edge and he and Aramis quickly stripped to their boxers before leaping in to the frigid water.

A moment later they were joined by Athos who was cradling D'artagnan close since their youngest apparently didn't feel like waking up fully.

The cold water did the trick and soon a dripping wet and freezing cold D'artagnan was climbing back out of the river with an adorable pout on his pixie face.

" I don't feel well 'thos," he whined as the oldest exited the water to dry him off with their shared towel.

A moment later he was coughing deeply, making his brothers wince at the sound as they climbed out of the water too.

" Ugh, that cough just won't go away will it?" Athos growled softly as he helped D'artagnan dress himself.

The younger boy shivered harshly in the cold air as he was helped in to his red shirt and worn khaki jacket. Even bundled up he continued to shiver, causing Athos to crouch down in order to see his face clearly.

" Hey squirt, you said you didn't feel well?" Athos prompted, watching as chocolate brown eyes appeared from behind the child's dark bangs.

D'artagnan nodded, his face a picture of misery as he reached out to Athos, obviously in search of a hug to chase away the awful headache and cough he found himself with.

Gently picking up his younger brother while rising up to his normal height Athos found himself grimacing at the small shivers still wracking the small form of his brother.

" Porthos, I think we need to eat while we walk this morning, the sooner we get D'artagnan inside and out of the cold the better," He said worriedly while getting a better grip of his little brother.

Porthos and Aramis cast each other looks of concern before Aramis skipped over to Athos, taking off his old red scarf as he did so.

" Here D'art, you can have my scarf to keep you warm," Aramis chirped, presenting the scarf to the small boy cuddled in to Athos' warm chest.

Ruffling his brother's curls Porthos firmly bundled Aramis back in to his scarf.

" You keep that 'mis, you need to stay warm as well, D'art can have my scarf instead, after all, I'll stay warmer a lot longer than you will," Porthos murmured affectionately before wrapping his navy blue scarf around his brother's neck, earning him a sleepy smile from a grateful D'artagnan.

Smirking fondly at his brothers Athos bent to dole out their morning rations of bread rolls, and paused at the sight of a cinnamon roll before handing it to Aramis.

Eyes lighting up in excitement at the sight of the flavored bread as opposed to his usual breakfast Aramis grinned up at Athos with his gap toothed smile.

" Thanks 'thos!"

Porthos shook his head in mock horror, an amused smirk on his broad face as he addressed his older brother. " Now you've done it, he'll be sugar high for the rest of the day".

Rolling his eyes affectionately Athos finished his portion before taking off up the hill that led out of their home, all the while trying to coax D'artagnan to eat more than a few bites of his food.

By the time they reached the café D'artagnan had decided to fall back to sleep and had latched on to Athos' sweater, his dark bangs hiding his small face as he curled in to his brother's warmth.

At the adorable sight of the two brothers Mrs. Treville bustled them inside, a delighted smile on her face as she welcomed them in.

" You're early this morning my darlings! And you brought your lovely little brothers to see me," she cooed, taking D'artagnan from a grateful Athos.

" Hi Mrs. T," Aramis chirped in greeting, hugging her around the waist in greeting.

" Good morning my little charmer," she greeted back with a small laugh.

Greeting the older brothers she gestured towards the kitchens behind the counter.

" There's hot chocolate back there for you if you're interested! Aramis and D'artagnan can help me serve today," the older woman offered with a warm smile.

Aramis gasped eagerly and took off for the kitchens with an amused Porthos trailing behind him to make sure he stayed out of trouble. D'artagnan didn't seem as if he was interested in anything but sleeping and Athos made his way over to Mrs. Treville with a concerned frown.

" I'm sorry about D'artagnan, Mrs. Treville, he isn't feeling very well and I was hoping he could just curl up out the back for the day," Athos apologized, taking his exhausted brother from the woman's arms to give her a reprieve.

Concern for the small child immediately filled his boss' eyes and she parted D'artagnan's bangs to place a palm on his forehead, frowning at the heat she found there.

" The poor child's got a fever. I've got some medicine in my apartment above the store, he can stay up there in Treville's old bed today," she assured.

Athos blinked at her in surprise for a moment before speaking.

" Are you sure? He'd be perfectly fine out back with us," he protested.

" Nonsense, I don't mind at all! You know I love you and your brothers, Athos, just indulge an old lady won't you?" She rebuked with a fond smile.

Taking D'artagnan from his older brother she tasked Athos with taking orders while she settled D'artagnan upstairs, allowing Athos a moment to reflect on just how lucky he and his family were to have met the kindest woman in Paris. 

For the first time in years Jean Treville had the day off.

He intended to spend it helping his mother out in the café and getting to know the boys working under her tutelage.

" Morning mum!" He greeted as his mother hugged him at the door.

" Jean! Just the person I wanted to see today. The boys brought their younger brothers in and I need someone to take care of them for me. D'artagnan came in sick and Aramis started coughing too, they're upstairs in your old room," She greeted back, shoving him in the direction of the stairs to her apartment.

Shrugging slightly at the new job he'd been tasked with, Treville climbed the stairs to the apartment of his childhood.

It was warm and pale pink, exactly the way his mother liked it. Moving towards the room he had lived in as a child he found himself staring at the most adorable scene he'd ever seen.

Two boys laid curled around one another on his old bed, the older of the two hugging the younger to his chest. He knew D'artagnan was the younger brother and by the looks of the small, miserable looking boy he was right.

Aramis was softly stroking his brother's hair as D'artagnan coughed weakly against his chest.

When the fit subsided, both boys noticed his presence and immediately hugged each other closer as they looked up at him fearfully.

Mentally berating himself when he realized that they hadn't seen him at the café before unlike their older brothers, he stepped forward in to the room and made sure to keep his stance unthreatening.

" My mother, Mrs. Treville, told me someone was sick," he prompted gently.

Aramis' glare lightened significantly at the mention of his mother and suddenly he was smiling uncertainly at him.

" You must be Jean! Your mum and our brothers told us about you," Aramis greeted back.

Treville sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure to keep his distance since he knew the boys would likely not take too kindly to having an adult man too close to them.

" Don't believe everything my mother tells you, let me guess, she's already shared my most embarrassing moments with you boys?" He joked, mouth curving up in amusement.

Aramis and D'artagnan both giggled, the sound of their laughter coming out like little bells.

D'artagnan uncurled himself a bit from Aramis, curious brown eyes blinking up at Treville curiously, causing Treville to scoot a little closer now that they were warming up to him.

" Hey there D'artagnan, it seems you woke up a bit sick today, how are you feeling now? Any better?" Treville asked hopefully.

D'artagnan shook his head slightly, and by the look of his reddened cheeks and slightly glazed eyes he was obviously running a fever. The little five year old was obviously in a bit of stomach pain due to the small grimaces that continuously made their way across his tanned face.

" It's alright D'artagnan, you can talk to Mr. Treville, he's nice!" Aramis reassured.

Still looking a bit hesitant, D'artagnan pointed to his torso region.

" My stomach hurts and I'm cold," He whimpered slightly.

Spying the old blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed, Treville handed the blanket to Aramis who proceeded to wrap his brother up tightly. One issue taken care of.

Frowning slightly at where D'artagnan had pointed, Treville eye's narrowed in contemplation. He had a hunch of what might be wrong and he sincerely hoped he wasn't right.

" Sorry D'artagnan, where are you sore?" Treville asked cautiously.

D'artagnan wrinkled his nose slightly as he pointed to his lower torso again.

" There".

Treville's frown deepened. D'artagnan said it was his stomach but he was pointing in the entirely wrong region, and the fever could be sign that his hunch would prove correct.

" Now D'artagnan, would you mind if I just checked on your…stomach real quickly?" Treville inquired gently.

Casting a glance at Aramis for permission and seeing his nod, D'artagnan then nodded too and lay back down on his back with a wince.

Treville raised D'artagnan's shirt slightly and immediately his eyes went to the inflamed right side of D'artagnan's abdomen. Pressing down lightly on it had D'artagnan hissing in pain and Aramis casting Treville and accusatory glance as he hushed his brother.

His suspicions were confirmed.

" All done D'artagnan, I'm just going to pop on down stairs and speak to Mrs. Treville, I'll be back soon to check on you boys again," He murmured, hoping not to worry them with his suspicions.

He himself had once presented the same symptoms in that very room and later his mother had discovered the real cause had not been the flu or some other bug.

Rushing down the stairs he quickly made his way to his mother who was just finishing up someone's order.

" Oh Jean, how are the boys?" She asked brightly, completely unaware of his worries.

" Mother, I think D'artagnan may have appendicitis, I'm going to speak with Athos and Porthos and get D'artagnan to the local doctor so he can check things out," Treville informed gravely.

His mother gasped in surprise, eyes welling with pity.

" Oh the poor thing, you get him to the doctors and I'll hold down the fort here. Take his brothers along with you if you will. I dearly hope that you're wrong".

Treville grimaced slightly, giving his mother a reassuring hug.

" I hope so too".


	3. Appendixes

Understandably, Athos and Porthos were franticly worried when Treville had told them of his suspicions, though Athos showed his anxiousness far less on the exterior than his younger brother.

Glancing in the rearview mirror Treville saw that a tired and pained D'artagnan was curled up against Athos in the back seat, clutching his older brother's grey hoodie tightly.

Porthos had a comforting hand on D'artagnan's knee as he spoke soothingly to their youngest, while Aramis curled up in the front seat with a worried frown on his face.

" 'thos, i-it hurts more now," D'artagnan sobbed quietly, thick tears streaking down his olive skin.

Immediately Athos was clutching him closer and Porthos had resumed his litany of soothing words whilst Treville grimaced at the fact that they still were a few minutes out, and D'artagnan was feeling worse.

He hoped to the high heavens that the child's appendix wouldn't get worse or even possibly burst completely.

" A-Aramis, you know a l-lot about medical s-stuff, what will they do to me at the hospital?" D'artagnan asked worriedly, biting his bottom lip in worry as his tears welled up again.

Aramis gulped slightly, obviously not wanting to tell his brother that they would knock him out and cut out an organ if Treville's theory was true. Frowning slightly he found an acceptable answer.

" They'll figure out what's making you hurt and they'll fix it!" Aramis reassured brightly.

D'artagnan sniffled slightly but his tears seemed to dry slightly at the thought of the building pain coming to an end. 

A moment later they were pulling up at the hospital and Athos hoisted D'artagnan in to his arms, the child curling closer to lay his head on his older brother's warm shoulder. Hazy chocolate eyes watched as he was carried in to the emergency ward.

The receptionist was immediately beckoning them over, a concerned look clear in her forest green gaze.

" What seems to be the problem?" She asked kindly as she took in the adorable D'artagnan's miserable expression and watery eyes.

" He's been sick all day and is complaining of pain in the region of his appendix. I'm worried he has appendicitis, is there anyone we can see?" Treville replied quickly, his years in the police force having taught him to be direct.

The receptionist was immediately beckoning over a young brown haired doctor who'd walked in with a clipboard.

" Doctor Lemay, we may have a case of appendicitis on our hands, can you see to these lovely gentlemen?" She inquired sweetly.

Doctor Lemay took one look at D'artagnan's teary face and ushered them down the corridor to a pristine white examination room.

" Pop him down on the bed and we'll see if your diagnosis is correct," Treville directed as he bustled over to his cabinet and snapped on some blue sterile gloves. Having collected his materials he made his way over to a teary D'artagnan who was lying down and clasping Athos' hand tightly. His other brothers had taken seats in the corner and were watching Lemay and Treville with wide and worried eyes.

" Hey there champ, what's your name?" Lemay asked kindly as he lifted D'artagnan's shirt to inspect his swollen abdomen.

" D'artagnan," the little boy whispered, grimacing at the cold air hitting his exposed skin.

Athos clasped his hand tightly, sending his younger brother a reassuring squeeze whilst watching Treville, who had taken to pacing the room, unsure of what to do since he knew little to nothing about the boys.

Doctor Lemay smiled gently at his patient before pressing lightly on the swollen area, causing D'artagnan to let out a yelp of pain.

" I'm sorry D'artagnan, I just needed to check on something before I can work on getting you better," Lemay reassured as D'artagnan tried to stifle a small sob of pain.

Moving over to Treville and pulling him over to the side, Treville immediately recognised the doctor's expression. " It's what I thought, isn't it," Treville muttered.

A short nod had Treville casting a worried glance at the four boys occupying the room.

" D'artagnan's going to need surgery soon to get his appendix out or it may burst and cause sepsis. Would you like to explain it to him? It is most likely he will not understand what's wrong with him and having his father explain the issue may smooth things over," Lemay suggested, gesturing to the boys curled up around D'artagnan's bed.

Treville grimaced slightly at being called the boy's father. " I'm not their father actually, but I believe it would go better if Athos, the oldest boy, explained it to D'artagnan while you make the necessary arrangements for the procedure".

D'artagnan did not understand.

This morning he had felt a little sick but that was all, now it felt as though his insides were burning and it hurt. He could barely focus on the nice doctor's words or the soothing reassurances of his brothers, he found the only comfort to be the warm arms of Athos encircled around him.

He heard them speaking around him but couldn't discern many of the words, he could however tell that Porthos was quiet angry with whatever had occurred.

" D'artagnan," A soft whispered voice called by his ear.

He slit his eyes open to see a blurry Athos looking down at him calmly.

"Yes, 'thos?" he murmured softly, snuggling closer to his brother to stave off the room's freezing atmosphere.

A warm hand cupped his cheek, tilting his face up out of his brother's chest so he had to face Athos head on.

" D'artagnan, the doctor has discovered why you're in pain and he'll soon have you feeling a lot better, but he's going to have to put you to sleep for a little while to fix you up," Athos murmured, his blue eyes steady as he implored his brother to understand.

D'artagnan instantly felt his heart thud in his chest, eyes widening in fright as a small whimper passed his lips.

" Will it hurt? Will I wake up?" He asked anxiously, immediately filled with fears of never waking up and leaving his brothers forever.

Immediately Athos was clutching him closer, a soothing hand stroking his hair gently to calm him.

" Of course you wake up my little musketeer, and when you do we'll be right here to greet you. You won't feel a thing, D'art, the pain will fade away and you'll wake up all fixed," Athos whispered against D'artagnan's ear.

Musketeer…Athos only ever called him that when he wanted him to be brave and strong. His brothers made up stories every night about being musketeers and saving France from Cardinals, spies and evil governors. If Athos wanted him to be like a musketeer then he would have to face his fears.

" Okay," he murmured dejectedly, burrowing against Athos' chest.

He felt Athos nod at the nice doctor and Mr Treville before he felt Athos beginning to slide out from behind him and his warm human pillow was leaving. Whining unhappily he blinked up at Athos and his brothers.

" Why are you leaving?" he asked softly.

Athos winced slightly at the pain in his tone before clasping his hand tightly.

" You have to go to sleep D'artagnan and I can't go with you. Don't worry, you won't even notice that I'm gone".

He DID notice.

He missed the warmth of his brother's hug and the comfort of his soothing words. He lost sight of Athos and the others as he was wheeled out of the room but he did see the nice doctor walking alongside them.

" Mr doctor?" D'artagnan asked timidly, clutching the sheets as the bed moved faster.

Dr Lemay smiled gently down at his nervous patient. " Yes D'artagnan?"

" Will you look after my brothers and Mr Treville while I sleep? They get lonely all the time," D'artagnan asked hopefully.

A deep chuckle emanated from the kind doctor and he gave D'artagnan's hand a squeeze.

" I'll be helping you feel better D'artagnan, but I'll send our nicest nurse, Anne, to make sure they don't get lonely, how does that sound?"

D'artagnan nodded with a relieved sigh and blinked with wide eyes as the bed rolled to a stop in a freezing cold room, causing him to shiver lightly as men and women in blue came towards him.

Once glance at the sharp, gleaming tools had him gulping nervously and clutching the sheets in an iron grip.

" Hey there," A gentle voice called.

Turning his head he came face to face with a pretty woman with golden hair.

"Hi," he squeaked back nervously.

" It's alright little man, now I'm one of your nurses and I'm going to put this over your mouth to help you sleep. I want you to be a brave young man and count backwards from ten, can you do that?"

D'artagnan set his features in to a determined smile and began to count as the mask was lowered over his face.

He got to seven when his eyelids started drooping and he got to five when they couldn't stay open any longer.

The last thing he heard before his senses disappeared was the nice doctor telling someone where to cut. 

When D'artagnan woke he felt like the world was different.

His mind was foggy but he opened his eyes to blink up at a familiar face blinking down at him.

" D'artagnan?" A warm voice asked.

He liked the sound of that voice, so much so that he giggled softly, glazed eyes peering up at his beloved brother as they blinked open slowly.

The concerned blue gaze softened to amused relief.

" How do you feel my little musketeer?" Athos whispered gently.

D'artagnan giggled again at the pet name before grinning widely up at his three brothers.

" I feel great! Everything's so fuzzy," D'artagnan replied happily.

A snort of laughter followed his statement.

" You're higher than a kite little brother!" Porthos snickered loudly.

D'artagnan pouted cutely, confusion pooling in to his features.

" No I'm not, I'm in bed,"

Another round of laugher met his statement and he found his slight annoyance drifting away as his vision winked out for a moment.

" 'thos, I'm sleepy," D'artagnan whined when his failing vision continued to prevail.

" Go ahead and sleep buddy, you'll be out of here soon and then we can play again!" Aramis chirped, hugging his brother lightly as the littlest boy finally surrendered to the drugs in his system. 

It was when D'artagnan went to sleep that things became awkward.

While he was in surgery they had waited in a tense and worried silence, but now that he was okay they had to address the elephant in the room, or rather the awkwardly hovering cop.

While the brothers could speak easily with one another they didn't quite know what to make of the man who they barely knew.

By the expression on his face, Treville didn't know what to say either. Clearing his throat awkwardly, the man moved over to sit by the bed.

" I'm glad D'artagnan is okay," he said honestly, if not a little hesitantly.

Athos turned to look at him, stormy blue eyes seeming to pierce in to his soul.

" So are we. Look, Mr Treville, just what is it you're trying to do here?"

Treville stared at the boys for a long second, eyes lingering on the drugged D'artagnan for a moment before he chose to reply.

" I'm no trying to do anything, Athos, the boy was sick, I had a means to help, that's all this is," Treville replied steadily, holding back the sigh that wanted to escape his lips.

" Well, we'll be out of your hair soon. The moment he's discharge tomorrow night we'll head on home and stop bothering you," Porthos growls protectively, curling an arm around a timid Aramis who blinked up at Treville with wide eyes.

" Home? You boys don't have a home, I know that. Look, D'artagnan will have stitches and he's just had surgery! He can't be out of the streets while he recovers," Treville argued immediately, a protective instinct bubbling up inside of him.

There was silence for a moment, in which the three brothers moved steadily closer to their younger sibling, the tense air of the room seeming almost tangible.

" Then what exactly do you propose we do? The streets are our home, and we will not be leaving him," Athos asked angrily, eyes sharpening to daggers of protective fury.

Treville seemed uncomfortable at the statement and the silence prevailed yet again until a determined look passed over his face for a moment.

" Stay with me. I have room to spare since my wife died, and you'll be across the street from work. I know it's weird, and you barely know me but D'artagnan needs a roof over his head to recover and I can provide that. I'm a cop, you can trust me. And when he's better you can stay or leave, whatever you're comfortable with," Treville stated quickly, his tone steady and calm.

The boys were immediately on guard but after a moment Athos' face softened.

" We have no other choice".


End file.
